Teaching Artists Program

V+V expands opportunities for artists who have an interest in teaching, speaking and public leadership positions in the field of visual art. The Teaching Artist Program [TAP] supports those goals, while offering the community opportunities to learn about art from a unique perspective. V+V artists who complete TAP courses bring lesson plans to classrooms, community centers, and partnering organizations all over greater Cincinnati. Each artist develops their own lesson plans customized to benefit students of all ages and abilities.

All programs are adaptable K-12 and beyond and can be brought to your classroom! Please contact Seanna shiggins@visionariesandvoices.com in the Education Department for more information.

There are 27 teaching artists available to teach classes through V+V’s teaching artists program at Visionarium and throughout the Cincinnati community! Please check back for a complete list of teachers coming soon.

RUTH BURTON

Ruth Burton finds reverence and inspiration in the natural world. She carefully describes plants, animals, and architecture with delicate line work and playful color. Her constant repetition of shapes creates intoxicating and profound fields of handmade textures. Her work really needs to be seen in person as areas are cut out and raised on different levels, making them quite dimensional. Ruth was exhibited widely in the regional Midwest and has also curated exhibitions. She is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Program at Visionaries + Voices and has had artist residencies at both Mercy and Clark Montessori schools in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Classes Available:

Rosalind Bush’s art making is steeped in classical antiquity. Finding inspirational imagery in various art books, she re-appropriates well-established iconography across the fine art landscape. Rosalind is primarily concerned with studying the figure, often referencing the works of the Great Masters or photo portraits from National Geographic. Experienced with papier-mâché, markers, and various other media, the artist most recently works in acrylic or watercolor as she focuses on refining her new body of figurative paintings. Rosalind chooses to define areas of her subject with dark outlines, bringing attention to the foreground. The eyes of her subject are sharp and often pupil-less. This exclusive style enhances the artist’s distinctive aesthetic in a way that is energetic and blunt.

Classes Available:

-Drawing with Emotion (Drawing, Mixed Media)

-Animal Miniatures (Sculpture, Mixed Media)

JR BRADSHAW

J.R. enjoys working in graphite, acrylic, watercolor, and most recently clay. His distinctive approach to mark making in his two-dimensional work has made a seamless transition to his ceramic vessels. These vessels combine human and animal features, becoming so-called “face jugs.” A thoughtful and supportive instructor, JR loves seeing his students’ take on class projects based on his own work.

Classes Available:

-Dream Vacation (Collage, Drawing, Mixed Media)

-Face Jugs (Sculpture, Clay)

CANDY BRANHAM

Candy Branham’s artwork is spirit-lifting and gentle on the heart. She has spent time working at both studios and is very familiar with the extended V+V family. Her trademark joyful angels reflect the vitality of her late nephew, whose passing had a significant impact on her work. Candi’s compassion, charm, and close relationship with God inform both her artwork and her teaching.

Classes Available:

-Someone You Love (Painting)

-Plush Sculptures (Fiber, Sewing)

KATHY BRANNIGAN

Kathy Brannigan is a draftswoman who often combines pen, ink, pencil, and paint in her intricately detailed work. Her subjects range from cartoon characters and rocket ships to flora and fauna, created using linework reminiscent of blind-contour style drawings. Adding line and color mark by mark, Kathy creates free of concern for formality. She has been working out of the Visionaries + Voices studio in Northside for over ten years and has shown her work numerous times in shows throughout Cincinnati. she is also a graduate of the V+V Teaching Artist Program, giving her the opportunity to teach her methods to school children in the city.

Classes Available:

-Flying Machines (Drawing, Watercolor)

DAVID CALLAHAN

David Callahan is a painter who works consistently from painting to painting, expressing a new story each time. His subject matter is inspired by the intensity of his dreams and vibrant imagination. Within each of David’s works figures, faces, homes, trees, and other living objects are hidden and/or revealed in layers of color. The most common characteristics of his paintings are a vibrant palette and unique use of space within the compositions. Lighthearted and playful, David’s fanciful expressions of an unseen world delight viewers. His paintings have been exhibited widely and are featured within several private collections.

Classes Available:

Jennifer Crowe has loved to fill journals as long as she or anyone can remember. The fragments of text combine poetry and the mundane in a struggle to find a whole within her experiences. Crowe’s words are layered enough to visually flatten themselves into powerful and immovable forms. Her process is methodical, working from left to right and top to bottom filling the void of empty space until the viewer is trapped somewhere between the impulse to read and a pure visual experience. Crowe has been making art at the Visionaries + Voices studio for years. She keeps journals of autobiographical writing, which slowly have become more entrenched, in her art making process. Her work has been exhibited both locally and nationally. She is also a graduate of the Teaching Artist Program

Classes Available:

-My Own Words (Drawing, Text, Watercolor)

CURTIS DAVIS

Curtis Davis creates work that is fresh, honest, and original. He dismisses unnecessary embellishments, simplifying and abstracting his subjects downs to the most basic of forms. The space on his canvas is typically divided into flat planes of color with the subject, or emphasis, placed in the center of the composition. Curtis is strongly driven to create. His impulse to make art results in an abundance of new paintings and drawings produced daily in the studio. Recently Curtis has branched out into larger, three-dimensional works combining elements if painting, sculpture, and glitter. The laid-back and joyful attitude with which Curtis approaches life is reflected.

Classes Available:

Neil Dignan is an artist and a naturalist. He has created detailed bird and animal paintings at Visionaries and Voices since 2009. He also specializes in human figure drawings and creates custom portraits on commission. Neil’s signature birds have carried over into his newfound passion for ceramics, resulting in miniature chicken and rooster figurines. An avid bird watcher and traveler, Neil never leaves home without a sketchbook to record what he sees. He is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Program and gives workshops and classes in schools and community centers around Cincinnati. Neil has participated in several exhibitions and was a co-curator for Bird State in April of 2003.

Classes Available:

Holly is an imaginative artist who can tackle any medium with intense focus. She enjoys working on complex, multi-step projects and revels in analyzing the process as she works. Holly expresses herself through cross-stitching and sculpting with papier-mâché, as well as painting. Her creativity is boundless and is fueled by computer gaming and sci-fi culture.

Classes Available:

-Extraterrestrial Embroidery (Fabric, Sewing)

-Peculiar Planets (Paint, Mixed Media)

JACKIE FISHER

Jackie Fisher weaves a spiderweb-like labyrinth in her paintings, calling the gaze of her viewer to spiral with her toward the center of the canvas. These abstract webs could be viewed as landscape maps, full of textural brushstrokes. Fisher is also known for her equally maze-like marker drawings in vibrant color. These works are reminiscent of the black, bold graphics of tribal tattoos inked onto skins of magenta + blue, lavender + orange, or any other hue duo Jackie chooses. Jackie has been a part of V+V for over 3 years and is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Program.

Classes Available:

-Tattoo Design (Drawing, Mixed Media)

AMY HAYDEN

Amy Hayden is a mixed-media artist who translates her personal experiences into various media. Her use of abstraction through geometric patterns, repetition, and especially color are utilized as an outward expression of her inner self. Her artwork is able to convey a sense of lively optimism and hope through her active line work and compositions, which captivate the viewer upon engagement. Every mark has a deliberate place within Amy’s work. Though the world around us is often changing, Amy is able to capture her feelings on paper so that they remain present, bold, and attentive through her artistic practice and execution. Amy has begun to take on a very active role in the Cincinnati community and is always working towards bringing art and happiness to those around her. She is currently partnering once a week with a local women’s shelter to lead workshops that empower women through art making and self-expression.

Classes Available:

KATIE HEFELE

Katie loves to work in grids, constructing complex imagery based off of drawn armatures. Inspired by stained glass designs and logic-based imagery, she begins the drawing process with outlining and mapping the entire space. She then carefully applies color to balance the movement of the viewer’s eye through the geometric shape. Her work is a wonderful mix of color, constraint, and optimism. Recently, Katie has been experimenting with resist techniques in her artwork, and enjoys sharing these new skills with her students when teaching.

Classes Available:

ANDREW HOSTICK

Andrew Hostick begins his art-making process from observing printed art historical references and advertisements. He then abstracts and simplifies the imagery, carefully balancing color relationships. He extrapolates the subject into new angles and dimensions, but keeps the imagery whole. Colored pencil is repeatedly pressed into the illustration board like an etching until the entire surface is oversaturated giving the image a beautiful sheen. Andrew has been making art since high school and has been an employee at Kroger for over 25 years. He has been featured in the 2015 Outsider Art Fair in New York City and many other shows locally and nationally.

Classes Available:

-Art Magazines (Drawing)

-Still Life (Drawing)

JON KLOSTERMAN

Super powers, fighting evil, and choosing altruism over the pursuit of power build the foundation of every beloved superhero. Illustrator Jon Klosterman has been heavily influenced by the superhero stories he’s grown up reading and following on TV. The artist’s drawing style has become a hybrid of the traditional American comic book and classic Japanese anime. A gentle giant of a man, Jon loves interacting with his students at local schools, sharing with them his enthusiasm for comic books and helping them create characters of their own.

Classes Available:

-Setting the Scene (Drawing, Writing, Mixed Media)

LINDA KUNICK, “THE BUTTERFLY LADY”

As an artist, advocate, and activist, Linda Kunick is a force of nature. Linda’s colorful abstractions often combine the natural world and religion. Most notably, she consistently uses the butterfly as a symbol of freedom, change, and growth. Linda has, in her own life, overcome a variety of obstacles and insecurities, which is obvious in her presence as she exudes confidence and inner strength. She empowers those around her with her positive energy. Kunick creates work in the belief that the act of viewing art can be transformational and that her ideas and joy can be communicated and shared with the world.

Classes Available:

Lamar’s work has focused on various aspects of the urban environment throughout his time at V+V. From commissioned portraits, to graffiti scapes, to fashion and celebrities, his work covers a wide range. Often working in pencil, his shading, coloring, and composition reflect a realism and impressionism rarely seen in these subject matters. A long time member of V+V, Lamar is often a record-keeper for artists, exhibits, and others who have been part of V+V’s history. Currently at the Tri-County Studios, Lamar is also involved with the Teaching Artist Program, and teaches classes throughout the year at area schools. He is a consistent participant in Double Vision and other exhibits,and both the past and future of V+V.

Classes Available:

-Shoe Printing (Print making, Mixed Media)

-Self Portraits (Drawing, Mixed Media)

NIKKI MARTIN

“Hi, my name is Nikki Martin and I am a fashion designer,” Nikki repeats over a handshake with every new acquaintance she makes. Fashion design has become a great part of her identity, as great as being African American or female. Every week she produces large quantities of drawings influenced by contemporary and vintage designers. She primarily works in ink, marker, and watercolor. Most recently, Nikki has developed a new technique to express different shades of marker by diluting its ink with a wet paint brush. Garments from Nikki’s “House of Couture” collection were featured in the “What Matters Most” fashion show in Fall 2009.

Classes Available:

-Whats Your Style? (Mixed Media, Fabric, Fashion)

CARLOS PEREZ

Carlos Perez is a gifted ceramicist, painter, and illustrator. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Puerto Rico in 2009 and began making artwork at Visionaries + Voices in the summer of 2012. His talent and drive to create was noticed by many at an early age. While in school, he earned a scholarship for the summer program at the School of Plastic Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While he is experienced in many mediums, his focus is on ceramics. His ceramic works are often dynamic sculptures that lunge at the viewer. Carlos’ work is informed and inspired by the mythology of ancient gods and modern interpretations such as The Avengers and other graphic novels. In some of his works, Carlos will place himself in the piece, connecting himself further to the subject matter of his mythological creations.

Classes Available:

The illustrations of Aaron Ringeisen are bright, boxy, and bold. The artist’s unmistakable drawing style is uniquely simplistic and minimalist as he reduces his subject to color-blocked, nearly geometric forms. Giving back (and encouraging others to give back) is very important to Aaron. He curated “Feral Heart Animal Magic” at the Northside studio to raise money for endangered animals at the Cincinnati Zoo. Currently the artist is raising funds for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital by selling greeting cards he made with stamps of his artwork. Working within the Teaching Artist Program, Aaron continues to spread his artistic style and socially conscious motivations with new artists young and old.

Classes Available:

-Animals in Their Natural Habitiat (Drawing, Mixed Media)

-Saving Our Animal Friends (Drawing, Mixed Media, Writing)

-History of Animals Through Art (Drawing, History, Mixed Media)

TAMMY SMITH

Diminishing eyesight has caused Tammy Smith to adapt her artistic practice by creating large, high-contrast works. Her Subject matter varies within a recent emphasis on architecture using geometric shapes and patterns. Tammy’s perseverance in having a positive outlook and being adaptive in making art is an inspiration to others. Professionally, Tammy is involved in several groups with which she advocates and teaches in the community. She enjoys being a positive influence in the community, her workplaces, and at her church. Tammy is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Program and truly enjoys sharing her art and techniques with her students.

Classes Available:

-Mix and Match Buildings (Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media)

-Seeing Galaxies (Painting, Mixed Media)

DIAMOND SNOWDEN

Diamond Snowden creates paintings inspired by urban culture and abstract shapes. He valiantly undertakes any artistic challenge presented to him, confidently experimenting with new techniques and materials. Pop and urban culture have been primary influences in Snowden’s art. This vast source of inspiration has resulted in a diverse body of work ranging from portraits to city-scapes. Snowden has shown considerable leadership skills in his time at the studio. Always willing to assist his fellow artists, Diamond’s considerate nature and motivational attitude have earned him the title of “Studio Assistant” in the Northside studio. Diamond’s leadership skills and completion of Visionaries + Voices Teaching Artist Program have helped him earn multiple teaching opportunities in schools and programs throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Classes Available:

-Glow in the Dark (Painting, Mixed Media)

-Papier-mache Buildings (Scultpure, Paper-mache, Mixed Media)

-Geometric Musical Forms (Painting, Mixed Media)

SARAH SWEENEY

Sarah Sweeney has worked in ceramics for over 10 years. Her signature coil dishware is rustic, practical, and stylish. All of Sarah’s work contains an organic hand built charm. She is among an elite class of ceramic artists in the Cincinnati area who has studied under the instruction of Joyce Clancy. Sarah has flourished as an artist and a teacher during her time at Visionaries+Voices studios, expanding her knowledge of ceramics to include the raku process and various hand building techniques.

Classes Available:

-Fantasy Creatures (Sculpture, Clay)

-Spiral Plates (Sculpture, Clay)

-Pinch Pot Containers (Sculpture, Clay)

BRAXTON THOMAS

Braxton Thomas’ earliest memory of making art is a papier-mâché project in the 8th grade. Braxton’s art hangs in the Vice Mayor’s office. Recently he worked with artworks on a mural, and he regularly teaches via the TAP program at V+V Visionarium as well as locations around the city. His work often focuses on a dynamic series of planets, maps, flags, and TV characters. He showcases the similarities and differences between individual subjects, uniting them into a larger body of work. He is both a vital contributor to V+V’s mission, and a great ambassador towards the larger arts community.

Classes Available:

-Memory Maps (Drawing, Mixed Media)

KEVIN WHITE

There are no accidents in the highly-ordered environments that are constructed by Kevin White. Approaching his site-specific tidal wave of non-traditional materials and unconventional building methods initially gives a sensation of chaos. Closer investigation, however, reveals a structure that embodies purpose. Kevin’s work stems from an organized system, a structure that embodies purpose reflective of personal experiences. Through his system of many small parts, Kevin works to create something larger. He works within his own studio space at the Visionaries + Voices’ Northside Studio. The area evolves and changes daily as Kevin’s creations take over and alter the environment around him. Pop cans, cardboard, fabric and other materials are transformed into multi-dimensional found object sculptures and paintings. The dots, lines, and patches of color work in a harmony surrounding, the parts truly become the whole.

Classes Available:

-Snakes Alive! (Painting, Mixed Media)

-ABCs: Assemble, Build, Compose (Sculpture, Mixed Media)

CATHRINE WHITED

The imagery of Cathrine Whited transforms mundane and everyday subjects into revered icons. Cathrine creates large bodies of work surrounding common themes like vegetables or cartoon Chuck-E-Cheese characters. Each drawing typically depicts one character or unit and is labeled akin to Victorian-era scientific journals and classifications of nature. This type of labeling and categorization juxtaposed against the mundane subject matter creates an immediate sense of humor. Experiencing all the drawing collections together, however, begins to tell a different story, expanding the meaning beyond humor to something greater. They become a way of processing, understanding, and collecting pieces of our culture commonly overlooked. Her work is an insightful mirror, reflecting on our lives and the objects with which we surround ourselves.

Classes Available:

When talking about his art Ishmael Williams describes a spiritual experience that occurred in the late 90’s. He discovered another world behind the created world of video games; hidden features, Easter eggs, cheat codes, version differences, and unreleased content. Exploring these concepts, his art depicts familiar characters, constructs and concepts, transformed by his environment and the people around him. His human influences on his digital sources create what he calls “sweet fusion art”, that is original, referential, nostalgic, and current. Utilizing strong, clean lines, flat compositions interspersed with action call-outs, and composition elements of side-scrolling platformers, each piece offers a living, moving world.